Australian Open champion Novak Djokovic edged past Russia's Igor Andreev 6-3 3-6 6-3 to book a quarter-final meeting with Spain's Nicolas Almagro in the Rome Masters.

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After an early exchange of breaks, the 20-year-old Serb took Andreev's serve in the fourth game with some impressive returns and wrapped up the set's final game with a beautifully executed serve-and-volley.

But the Russian had no intention of lying down in their third round match and pulled back into contention by taking the second set having broken in the fourth game.

Andreev then look rattled in the final set and three times came close to losing his serve before regaining his composure to break in the second game.

Serbia's world number three had to dig himself out of more trouble in the seventh game of the decider before serving out the match.

Almagro, who knocked out Argentine seventh seed David Nalbandian in the second round, went straight into the last eight after Chilean Fernando Gonzalez, last year's finalist, pulled out of their match with a leg injury.